I collected baseball cards from the late '80s through 2002. Then I went to college and when I came out, I was lost. There were too many brands, sets, choices, relics, autos, parallels, variations. It was a turn off. However, I slowly made my way back.
So here is my attempt to venture back into the hobby. I'll buy a few packs of cards here and there, comment on some cards I have, send out some TTMs, and follow the progress of my Topps Yankees Project.

Tabs

Thursday, April 2, 2015

JBF Week: Bring Bazooka back!

In 1995 and 1996, I was hooked on Bazooka baseball cards. The packs were just $.50 a pack, and included a piece of Bazooka gum as well. They were lumpy packs since Bazooka isn't flat...it's more rectangular with some dimension.

Anyhow, the cards were definitely geared at kids. The 1995 set had some sort of weird game on it. I was 12 at the time, and had no interest in playing whatever card game it was, which to me, confirms that kids don't want to be pandered to. They just want to collect a fun set that they can afford. At $.50 a pop, I remember buying a ton of packs.

There were no fancy inserts. The 1995 set had a "Red Hot" insert which was actually tough to pull. But there were no hits or autographs. I just hoped to collect all the Yankees.

That summer, I went on vacation with my friend and his family, and his dad surprised us with a box of 1995 Bazooka. Every ten miles, we opened up another pack. What a great way to help pass the time in the car!

Anyhow, my point is, we were 12, and we just liked busting packs, seeing who we got, trading for cards we needed, and chomping on a good piece of gum.

In the mid-2000s, Bazooka made a comeback, but here is a prime example of the card companies losing their way with youngsters:

Relics!

Now, don't get me wrong, this is actually a super cool card, and Mickey Rivers is the man. I love having this card! But it just shows that modern-day companies feel the need to complicate all products with "hits."

I can't help but think back to that August, 1995 trip and remember how simple it was to just open packs and not be disappointed with the contents.

I bought Bazooka back in the '90s, and it was fun. And when it returned 10 years later I enjoyed collecting it too. I've had a few of the relic sets, including Fun Facts, on my want lists but I've never really tried collecting them.